We recently connected with Chloe Pascarella and have shared our conversation below.
Chloe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
In February 2021, I found myself at a crossroads in life, after losing my job in late 2020, I knew I had to make a change. I was 20 years old with a desire for a creative and flexible career, I was ready to dive into the world of nails. As a habitual nail bitter my whole life, doing my own nails was always a passion of mine and a way to make myself feel better. I knew I wanted to somehow share that special feeling with others. The only catch? I had no formal training or experience in the nail industry. Undaunted, I turned to YouTube tutorials and extensive research, hoping to find my niche. It was during this self-guided exploration that I stumbled upon the enchanting realm of luxury press-on nails. The moment I realized there was a real demand for this product, I knew I had found my calling. Armed with nothing but passion and a burning determination, I hastily set up an Instagram page and showcased my very first press-on nail sets. I may not have had a concrete plan, but I was resolute in my pursuit of making By Chloe Nails a success.
Chloe, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Chloe Pascarella, I am a 22 year old small business owner. I specialize in fully customizable, soft gel, luxury press on nails. I am a self taught nail artist and solo entrepreneur, part of me always knew I’d take a less traditional route in life. Never much desire to go the traditional university route so immediately after graduating highschool in Pennsylvania i moved to New York City at 18. Working as a live in personal assistant for a head executive at a cooperate firm my life quickly changed. While I ended up loosing this job in late 2020 during the pandemic it taught me exactly what I wanted and didn’t want to do for my career moving forward. It was time to do something for myself and stop working towards others dreams. My life long passion for all things beauty and especially nails was my first idea of how to get started in a fulfilling career. Originally I had planned to be a travel gel nail tech in nyc and quickly found that was absolutely not for me. Fast forward a bit and I was researching on YouTube and stumbled upon a few videos about soft gel press on nails and basically the rest is history. I have always been the one to jump first and figure the rest out later and that’s how by Chloe nails came to life in late February 2021. With no idea on how to run my own business, no training, no nail experience or anything I jumped head first. I knew if I gave it my all it would somehow turn out well. Working a day job as a personal chef at the time in Long Island, I spent every spare minute I had working on my dream. What helped me stand out was focusing on solely custom designs on super short wearable nail shapes. But before I realized it, I was making 3x my weekly salary at my day job from my press on business and it started to very rapidly grow into a full time business. About 3-4 months later I decided to go all in and take by Chloe nails full time. My first year I reached hundreds of customers, 6 figures in sales, grew a large online following and really turned by Chloe nails into a large name in the nail industry. Now nearly 3 years in, the by Chloe nails empire now covers press on nails, multiple educational platforms helping others chase their dreams in the industry, collaborations with industry leaders, my own gel line, merchandise and so much more. My goal for by Chloe nails is for all nail enthusiasts to have a place to come and grow together. It’s always been more than just nails for me, it’s a lifestyle and a community. That’s what by Chloe nails is about.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Growing a customer base in the press on nail space really took sticking to my roots as an artist. Focusing on creating nail looks that matched my personality as a person and a business owner, so others can get to know me through my work. The same goes for creating content for my business, staying genuine and authentic with my content always yields me the best results. I know that most of my customers are just like me and that most of us could be good friends! So I try to always think of how I communicate best with my friends and what they are looking for. Strengthening that trust and bond between me and my customers for a long lasting relationship.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Making the switch from employee to boss was incredibly difficult for me when I first started. Reminding myself that no one is going to tell me what to do from now on, I have to set the rules and be a self started. Especially as a 19 year old, I had a lot of learning to do and had to learn FAST. One thing that helped transition into that strong solo entrepreneur mindset, was keeping strict routines. Setting my goals, defining my work load and daily tasks to ensure that I have things to work on every single day. Helping me to inforce that boss mindset that I am not in full control, I am capable of anything and that this business is something I can grow to any height.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.bychloenails.com
- Instagram: By.Chloenails
- Youtube: Bychloenails
- Other: Www.thepressonacademy.com is my online educational platform for press on nail artists!